Fans and fellow musicians around the world are mourning the loss of beloved Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, who died in a motorcycle accident July 29, and hearts at The Record Exchange are heavy as we reflect on the special connection Glen had to the store.
Prior to his breakout role in Once with Markéta Irglová, which led to an Oscar for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly” (co-written by Markéta), Glen founded the Dublin band The Frames, whose record label approached The Record Exchange in 2005 to host an in-store performance, Glen’s first-ever appearance in Boise. An all-time highlight in our nearly 50-year history, the in-store was the start of Glen’s longstanding relationship with The Record Exchange and original owners Michael Bunnell and Jil Sevy, who later hosted Glen and Markéta’s band The Swell Season for Thanksgiving during Glen’s return to Boise in 2007.
Below, Michael shares his memories of Glen and their time with one of the best songwriters to ever grace the earth.
We are heartbroken at the recent passing of musician and humanitarian Glen Hansard. In addition to founding The Frames and The Swell Season, he had a brilliant solo career.
After The Frames’ in-store performance at The Record Exchange, the band told us that our store was the first on their States tour to carry their records. Unbelievable. Their performance was one of the best in-stores we ever hosted. When they returned in 2007, we helped produce a show at The Egyptian Theatre. It was amazing. Glen was in complete control of the audience that night and even got us all to leave the venue while the band played on. I had never seen an artist so connected to the audience — it was an incredible moment.
After the film Once was released, Glen and The Swell Season returned for another amazing show at The Egyptian. It happened to be Thanksgiving weekend, and so my wife and I, along with some friends, hosted the band for their first Thanksgiving dinner. It was a very special night of food, wine, music and community, and a night our family will never forget.
Thank you for the music, Glen, and for your pursuit of something good in all of us. You will be missed.